Posted on Fri, Jan. 28, 2005
Oklahoma State takes time to remember friends
Friends and family members of the Oklahoma State basketball players and staff who were killed in a plane crash shared their memories Thursday. It was the fourth anniversary of the crash that killed 10 peoplewhile the Cowboys returned from a game at Colorado.
Athletic director Harry Birdwell, who along with university president David Schmidly laid a wreath at the crash memorial in Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., said the anniversary should be focused on remembering what made each of the men special.
“I think it gave us reason to celebrate life,” Birdwell said. “I think it gave us greater appreciation of what's important. I think it gave us a reason to remember.”
Coach Eddie Sutton stops every day at the memorial, which features pictures of the 10 men around a statue of a kneeling cowboy.
“Nothing that's ever happened to me touched my life like that horrible accident,” Sutton said. “Not a day goes by that I don't stop and look those guys in the eye and thank them in a certain way. They helped us become better people.”
Pilots Denver Mills and Bjorn Fahlstrom were killed in the crash, along with players Nate Fleming and Dan Lawson and support personnel Jared Weiberg, Pat Noyes, Will Hancock, Brian Luinstra , Bill Teegins and Kendall Durfey.